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Marie Moore, human resource manager for international operations of Food Products Incorporated (FPI), sighed as she reread the resignation letter from Sadie Wagner. Sadie was one of the latest in a series of expatriates to resign from international appointments. Although high turnover in international positions is well known in the industry, the executives at FPI International Operations were very concerned about the high expatriate turnover. Recruitment, placement, and relocation costs were staggering, and with every replacement there was a productivity decline while the new person "learned the ropes." Moore thought Sadie had a better than average chance of succeeding. Sadie was single, spoke the language, and actively sought an international position.
Moore was responsible for presenting a strategy and implementation plan that would decrease turnover and increase tenure in international appointments. Moore reflected on Sadie's tenure at FPI at its domestic and international operations. If she could understand why Sadie's placement did not work out, then she could begin action planning on a strategy for more successful international appointments. Moore pulled up Sadie's personnel file on her computer and read the file notes.
SADIE'S DOMESTIC POSITION
Sadie Wagner came to FPI-Corporate as manager of food product procurement and economics. Although she had a "title" of manager, the position was better defined as an executive adviser specializing in regulatory issues pertaining to food procurement. In this position, her abilities to gather, analyze, and interpret forecast data and then report industry trends to upper management were well known internationally. Even though this was an unusually high appointment for a 30-year-old female with very limited management or organizational experience, she already was known throughout the industry for her expertise in accurately anticipating future industry directions. FPI had made an attractive offer to recruit her from her previous employer. Although FPI was an industry leader, her placement with them did not dissuade other organizations from trying to recruit her away. She was at FPI for approximately 18 months when she was offered an overseas position from an international food conglomerate. Sadie discussed the opportunity with her supervisor, who suggested that they look for an international placement within FPI. Sadie seemed excited about an expatriate position and agreed to remain at FPI. Her resume was forwarded to Moore at...